Pieta Gray
'Diversity means accommodating, respecting and celebrating the differences that make us unique.'
Contact details
Email: pieta.gray@canterbury.ac.nz
Introduction
I am an administrator in the School of Humanities and Creative Arts.
Ko Aoraki te maunga
Ko Te Ara-a-Kiwa te tai
Ko Takitimu te waka
Ko Te Rau Aroha te marae
Ko Kai Tahu te iwi
Ko Pieta Gray ahau
What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity means accommodating, respecting and celebrating the differences that make us unique. By fostering diversity, and learning from each other, we become a stronger and more vibrant community.
What role does diversity play in your work?
I enjoy working within a diverse community of students and staff in the School of Humanities and Creative Arts.
In studying aspects of culture and society, I value the way students and staff in the humanities question traditional power structures and conventions in a self-reflective way.
What diversity activities have you been involved in?
I’m a member of the Arts Equity and Diversity Working Group. Recently, we worked with Q Canterbury to set-up the Robin Duff Room, a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students on campus.
I’ve also collaborated with colleagues in UC Arts, UC Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies and the UC Pacific Development Team to host the ‘Oceanic Memory: Islands, Ecologies, People’ conference. This conference considered cultural memory in the Pacific from a variety of perspectives.
In conjunction with WORD Christchurch and the UC Diversity Festival, I’ve helped organise student workshops, film-screenings and panel discussions which explore and promote diversity.